Dallas' most recent pet-lebrity, Guidry the Hound, doubles as spokesdog for a good cause

Picture the phrase "man's best friend," and it might look something like this:

It’s the Fourth of July. Dallas guy Todd Boyce sports stars-and-stripes socks while his 4-year-old redbone coonhound, Guidry, wears an American flag bandana around his neck. Todd saves a piece of meat from his plate of chicken and waffles and feeds it to Guidry -- after he performs a paw-five, of course.

The pooch is named after former Yankees player Ron Guidry, but his human also refers to him as “homeslice.”

In Guidry's Instagram profile picture, he's shown decked out in polarized sunglasses, heat-protectant boots and an evaporative cooling vest: truly, a cool dog. Another one of his unique features? He doesn’t bark. He bays, a howl-like sound emitted exclusively by hounds.

Todd Boyce sits with Guidry on the patio of Luck in Dallas.(Rose Baca / Staff Photographer)

Boyce and Guidry are constantly exploring new spots around D-FW. Boyce straps Guidry into his safety harness in the back seat, and Guidry sticks his head out of the window, slobbering down the side of the truck. It’s not a rare sight to see; they get recognized almost every time they’re out together.

"He's my buddy," Boyce says. "I take him all over the place, and I just enjoy hanging out with my dog. I think the feeling's mutual. I wish he could speak English, but he certainly behaves as if the feeling were mutual."

While Guidry's face graces the Instagram feed delighting some 3,600 followers, he is also the face of Dog Friendly Alliance (DFA), an organization created by his human to compile a deeply detailed list of dog-friendly locations throughout the Metroplex. Boyce realized the need to address this issue after repeatedly taking Guidry places that claimed to be dog-friendly but didn't have safety precautions like fans or cool concrete.

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However, the main goal of DFA is community reintegration and socialization through emotional support and service dogs, primarily for veterans. Boyce is a Gulf War veteran, and Guidry is his emotional support dog. Twenty-percent of DFA’s revenue goes towards funding the training of emotional support and service dogs through the non-profit organizations Operation MUTT 22 and Canine Companions for Independence.

Being out on a patio with a dog is a form of emotional support, says Boyce, who is also an occupational therapist. Socializing in public helps veterans and others who might need emotional support “get back into society and realize there’s more to the world than all the stuff bouncing between [their] ears,” he says.

More photos of good boy Guidry

1/4Guidry poses on the patio at Luck in Dallas.(Rose Baca / Staff Photographer)

2/4Guidry, a redbone coonhound who is the dog spokesperson for Dog Friendly Alliance founded by his owner Todd Boyce, poses for a photograph on the patio at LUCK in Dallas on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018. (Rose Baca/The Dallas Morning News)(Rose Baca / Staff Photographer)

3/4Guidry, a redbone coonhound who is the dog spokesperson for Dog Friendly Alliance founded by his owner Todd Boyce, poses for a photograph on the patio at LUCK in Dallas on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018. (Rose Baca/The Dallas Morning News)(Rose Baca / Staff Photographer)

4/4Guidry, a 4-year-old redbone coonhound, provides emotional support to his owner Todd Boyce, in addition to being spokespet for Dog Friendly Alliance, a group that helps veterans with social reintegration through the use of service dogs.(Rose Baca / Staff Photographer)

On DFA's website, users can browse locations and events to attend with their dogs. They can also peep the list of DFA dogs with respectable D-FW followings, like Bill the Boston.

DFA's pack membership is open to all dogs for an annual fee ranging from $25 to $100 for titles including L'il Pup, Big Dog, Top Dog and Leader of the Pack. The membership comes with perks like discounts and a spot on the membership page. More importantly, the payment helps fund emotional support and service-dog training.

Abby Blasingame. Abby is a senior at Plano East Senior High School. When she’s not taking photographs with her friends or browsing social media, she can be found listening to her most recently discovered artist, album or podcast. Abby’s favorite part of Dallas is the food, which she counteracts with lots of spin classes. Abby is a dedicated Girl Scout currently working on her Gold Award, taking adorable photos of pets at an animal shelter. Abby loves her Golden Retriever, Dakota, and is dedicated to helping other animals find homes. The future of journalism, especially visual and digital storytelling, excites her beyond belief.